Memo to Mike Vrabel: Want to come back to Foxborough?
As fast as Bob Kraft moved last year to replace Bill Belichick with the in-house promotion of Jerod Mayo, the table is suddenly set for another familiar face to become the next coach of the New England Patriots.
And make no mistake. Vrabel, 49, one of the hottest candidates on market as another coaches hiring cycle ramps up, is undoubtedly at the top of Kraft’s wish list.
So much for smokescreens.
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No, the Patriots owner didn’t exactly express that in the heartfelt statement he released in confirming Mayo’s fate – Kraft called it “one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” yet he also apologized to fans who have endured back-to-back 13-loss seasons for the first time in the franchise’s history – but in creating the vacancy he sent a clear message to Vrabel.
After all, Vrabel interviewed with the New York Jets on Friday. Or forced the Patriots to show their hand, if you will. Now there’s no doubt that heading back to Gillette Stadium is among the options he can consider.
A Vrabel hire sure wouldn’t be a tough sell to the fan base. A little more than a week ago, during a blowout loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, the “fire Mayo” chants ringing at Gillette Stadium said it all. Never mind the massive challenge of trying to fill the huge shoes worn by Belichick and the distinct culture change that came with it. Forget that Mayo took over a team with a talent base depleted by a series of Belichick personnel moves that backfired and that he rolled with a rookie quarterback, Drake Maye. Phooey on patience.
They wanted him gone.
You can bet that Kraft, who once sat in the stands as a season-ticket holder before he bought the team in 1994, would score points with the fan base by bringing Vrabel back into the fold. On top of his established coaching track record, the former linebacker (and goal-line tight end) was one of the most popular players during the franchise’s glory days, a member of three of the six Super Bowl championship teams. In 2023, Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. He’s Patriot royalty, so to speak.
Sure, the Patriots will have to comply with the Rooney Rule and interview at least two minority candidates for the position – unlike the case last year when Mayo, a Black man, was installed without the team having to meet that requirement because a loophole with the rule allows coaches from within (of any race) to be promoted if it is written into their contracts as assistant coaches.
It will be interesting to see how the Patriots proceed. Will Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores be a candidate? While Flores, previously the Miami Dolphins coach, has developed prolific defenses with the NFL’s biggest surprise team, his class-action the lawsuit against the NFL and several teams – alleging discrimination and sham procedures in complying with the Rooney Rule – is unresolved.
Like Vrabel, Flores spent a significant portion of his NFL career with the Patriots. So, there’s plenty of familiarity.
Then again, Vrabel’s merits include winning two division titles during his six seasons as Tennessee Titans coach (56-48, including the posteason), with a resounding statement win at Foxborough.
Remember Tom Brady’s last game with the Patriots? It was Vrabel’s Titans who sprung the upset of the defending Super Bowl champion in a 2019 wild-card playoff game.
Now the plot could involve keeping Vrabel away from the Jets. Oh, the irony. A generation ago, the Patriots wound up hiring Belichick just 23 days after he resigned as Jets coach. Belichick, who was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells for three seasons with the Jets, had it written into his contract that he would automatically succeed The Tuna.
When it happened, Belichick didn’t want the job, apparently uneasy about the ownership change that loomed with Woody Johnson’s purchase of the franchise. Kraft wound up negotiating a settlement with the Jets that involved sending a first-round pick to Parcells, who ran the football operations.
Kraft’s familiarity with Belichick, who was on Parcells’ staff during his Patriots stint, was a significant factor in wanting to lure the coach back to Foxborough. And more than two decades and six Super Bowl titles later, his hunch worked out.
Not so, though, when considering his decision in 2023 to write Mayo’s promotion into his contract as a measure to keep other teams away from an emerging candidate from Belichick’s staff. To relieve Mayo after just one season sends another message.
Kraft is admitting that it was a mistake to turn his team over to the first-time coach. He’s had other regrets with coaching moves. Although Parcells took the Patriots to the Super Bowl during the 1996 season, the friction over power made the arrangement unsustainable. In replacing Parcells, Kraft became enamored with Pete Carroll during one marathon interview in 1997. Carroll wound up proving himself as a winning coach, but he lasted just three seasons in New England.
Now Mayo’s out with a much shorter stint that may make you wonder how committed in the first place Kraft was with his coach.
In any event, it’s possibly “on to Vrabel” for the Patriots. And for Vrabel, the prospect of answering to Kraft has to be a lot more inviting than mulling over Madden ratings with the Jets owner.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell.
